HMCS Skeena (D59)
Skeena at sea
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| History | |
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 Canada
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| Name: | Skeena |
| Namesake: | Skeena River |
| Ordered: | 6 March 1928 |
| Builder: | John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston |
| Laid down: | 14 October 1929 |
| Launched: | 10 October 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 10 June 1931 |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Wrecked 25 October 1944 during a storm off Reykjavík, Iceland. |
| Badge: | Blazon Azure, out of a base invected argent, a salmon sinisterwise proper. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | |
| Displacement: | 1,337 long tons (1,358 t) |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 32 ft 9 in (9.98 m) |
| Draught: | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Speed: | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Complement: | 181 |
| Armament: |
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HMCS Skeena was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1931-1944.
She was similar to the Royal Navy's A-class and wore initially the pennant D59, changed in 1940 to I59.
She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Woolston, Hampshire and commissioned into the RCN on 10 June 1931 at Portsmouth, England. Skeena and her sister HMCS Saguenay were the first ships specifically built for the Royal Canadian Navy. She arrived in Halifax on 3 July 1931.
Skeena rescued 65 survivors of the British merchant ship Manipur, sunk by U-57 off Cape Wrath on 17 July 1940. On 2 September 1940 she rescued 19 survivors of the British merchant ship Thornlea, sunk by U-46 in the North Atlantic. On 23 November 1940 she rescued 6 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Bruce, damaged by U-100 and 9 survivors of the Norwegian merchant ship Salonica, sunk by U-100 nearby.
Skeena was assigned to North Atlantic convoy Escort Group C-3 escorting convoys ON 93, HX 191, ONS 104, SC 90, ON 115, HX 202, ON 121, SC 98, ON 131, HX 210, ON 141, SC 109, ONS 152 prior to refit in January 1943. On 31 July 1942, Skeena recorded her first victory with HMCS Wetaskiwin when they depth charged and sank U-588 while escorting ON 115 at 49°59′N 36°36′W / 49.983°N 36.600°W.
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